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Are you considering a career as a financial advisor? Or perhaps you’re already an experienced advisor or financial planner but thinking of a making a change? Then you’ll want to know more about what it means to partner with Sun Life.
Types of advisors
There are a variety of advisor roles within the financial services industry often based on the licensing and/or registrations that an individual has obtained.
Here are just a few of the role names you may have come across:
- Financial advisor
- Financial planner
- Insurance advisor or insurance agent
- Investment advisor
- Wealth management advisor
- Insurance and wealth advisor
You may have also seen designations such as Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Financial Analyst (CFA), or Registered Financial Planner (RFP).
Once contracted with Sun Life, you have options to grow your practice over time, enhance your knowledge, obtain designations, and build out a team if you choose. Whether you are interested in establishing and managing your practice as a solo advisor, hiring staff, or joining forces with another advisor to form an alliance or incorporating, Sun Life works with you. We have dedicated teams to help you through the life cycle of your business – from start up, to business growth support, to helping you build a team of service or marketing support staff as well as licensed team members.
How to become a Sun Life financial advisor
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Step 1 - Discover
Meet with a recruiting consultant or a field leader to get to know each other, learn more about the career and ask questions. Complete an online career assessment to determine whether the advisor career, your skillset and the timing may be a fit.
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Step 2 - Analyze
Review your assessment results with Sun Life. Continue more in-depth discussion about your goals, the advisor career at Sun Life including the compensation program. Complete application for initial approval stage.
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Step 3 - Learn
If you do not already have a Life and Accident & Sickness Insurance (LLQP) license or are notCanadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) registered, register for the required course with an approved provider, connect regularly with a field leader, complete online course and prepare for exam(s).
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Step 4 - Qualify
If you do not already have a Life and Accident & Sickness Insurance (LLQP) license or are notCanadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) registered, register for and pass the appropriate provincial licensing exam(s). Apply for your provincial license/registration (or request a license transfer for those already licensed/registered).
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Step 5 - Appointment
Work with your field leader to evaluate your market potential, prepare your business plan, begin your in-field training and earn your official appointment.
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Step 6 - On-boarding
Set-up laptop, office, etc. and begin work with your field leader, the local district team, and Sun Life’s Learning & Practice Management team to begin the Advisor Success On-boarding Program at Sun Life.
Why become a financial advisor?
Financial advisors love to work with people and develop long-term relationships with Clients as they help them plan financially for the various stages of life. Today’s economic uncertainty means Clients want trusted insurance and investment advice and prefer to deal with one advisor for all their financial needs. We believe trusted advice is the foundation of financial and wellness planning. Throughout your advisor career at Sun Life, you’ll work with people to help them achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives through tailored advice and solutions. Sun Life understands that financial management can be complex, personal, and time-consuming. When we help Clients, we enable them to gain the freedom to live their lives their way.
Why become a financial advisor?
Financial advisors love to work with people and develop long-term relationships with Clients as they help them plan financially for the various stages of life. Today’s economic uncertainty means Clients want trusted insurance and investment advice and prefer to deal with one advisor for all their financial needs. We believe trusted advice is the foundation of financial and wellness planning. Throughout your advisor career at Sun Life, you’ll work with people to help them achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives through tailored advice and solutions. Sun Life understands that financial management can be complex, personal, and time-consuming. When we help Clients, we enable them to gain the freedom to live their lives their way.
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The advisor career is one of the fastest growing occupations.
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Households with an advisor have approximately twice the level of financial assets over non-advised households.
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More wealth is being handed down to the next generation than at any other time in history and these individuals may be looking to work with advisors that align with their values.
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You want a meaningful career. Being a financial advisor is about helping people find solutions to their needs.
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There may be an opportunity to acquire a business from retiring advisors. Many advisors are looking for the right person – they don’t want to hand over their business to just anyone.
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You want to run and build your own business. As an advisor, you work for your business and your hard work and efforts are rewarded and recognized.
Sun Life financial advisors come from a range of backgrounds
People from various educational and professional backgrounds have found success in the advisor role. Our diverse and inclusive network of advisors includes people with prior experience in:
- Education and healthcare (teachers, nurses, doctors, therapists)
- Sales and/or customer service
- Hospitality (hotel, restaurant)
- Professional athletics
- Professional services (accountants, lawyers, bankers, planners, brokers)
- Real estate (realtors, mortgage brokers)
- Entrepreneurship
- Military service
For those considering a career change to financial services, the following may describe you:
- You have a track record of success but may currently be experiencing dissatisfaction in your career
- You want a career that provides you with unlimited earning potential
- You want to be recognized for your efforts
- You want a career that provides you with the flexibility to adjust your schedule around your personal and family obligations
- You are disciplined and have a solid work ethic
- You have an entrepreneurial spirit and understand what it means to invest in your business
- You are eager to learn new things and are looking for a career that allows you to develop professionally and personally
- You want a meaningful career that leaves a positive impact to society
- You enjoy working with people and offering advice.
For those with experience in financial services and considering a change, the following may describe you:
- You have reached an income ceiling in your current position
- You are feeling pressure to scale up your practice
- You have limited dedicated support to help you grow your practice or take it to the next level
- You have an entrepreneurial spirit and are seeking autonomy in your practice
- You are looking to incorporate or to expand your practice beyond your province of residence
- You want to establish a recurring income stream in your practice
- You are interested in succession opportunities and are looking to either grow your practice with other advisors or to transition your practice to the next generation.
A financial advisor provides advice about insurance and investments to Clients through a thorough review of their needs. Successful advisors build long-term relationships with Clients, help them build a solid financial strategy and put the right products in place throughout their various life stages. Here are some of the more common activities performed by financial advisors:
- Meeting with prospects and Clients
- Gathering information about their future financial goals as well as reviewing their current financial state
- Helping build a financial roadmap Clients achieve these goals
- Recommending suitable insurance and/or investment products that align with this financial strategy
- Meeting with Clients regularly to ensure their plan continues to stay up to date as the Client’s life situation changes (family, career, housing, etc.)
- Completing on-going training and professional development to remain current with industry and regulatory environment changes
- Obtaining professional accreditations and designations (such as Certified Financial Planner – CFP)
- Staying connected within their community through on-going referral, marketing, and networking activities.
Find out more information about the advisor role
Why partner with Sun Life?
“The people at Sun Life are like no other - within a month, I felt more at home than at my former institution. Our financial centre is like a family.”
Joined Sun Life as an experienced advisor
“This career offers flexibility and autonomy. Many people don’t want a 9 to 5 job, they like the idea of running a business that leverages the digital resources available to be able to schedule time for Clients and family.”
New Canadian
Trusted for generations
Sun Life’s roots run deep in Canada, and we have been part of the Canadian landscape since 1865. Originally starting with the sale of only life insurance, Sun Life has since expanded to be a leading provider of full-service personal life and health insurance, investment products as well as group benefits and group retirement services.
“At Sun Life you’re in business for yourself, but not by yourself”
- On-going training, coaching and sales support through local leadership teams (district directors, business development partners, business development consultants and office resource teams), as well as through a centralized learning & practice management team, advanced case managers, estate planners, wealth, and digital consultants.
- Leadership teams focused on supporting new and experienced advisors with their development. Our leaders do not build or manage personal books of business.
- Best in class products and access to over 40 mutual fund companies through the Sun Life Dealer platform.
- Marketing strategy and support for advisors in addition to nationally televised commercials and social media ads to help advisors define and amplify their unique value to Clients and prospects in their communities.
- Market Development financial support to help advisors promote their business through events, webinars, advertisem*nt, and general marketing activities for the purposes of prospecting, lead generation, and public awareness.
- A Leads Program to provide advisors with introductions to potential Clients. Each year, Sun Life invests millions of dollars into generating leads for advisors to help them build and strengthen their business.
- Best in class Digital Tools to enable a modern advisory practice.
- Monthly bonuses offer new advisors compensation stability in Years 1 – 3 as advisors focus on learning and taking positive actions that will contribute to building a strong foundation
- For experienced advisors transitioning a wealth book of business, a Transition Bonus as well as transfer fee support may be available to help offset transition costs to Sun Life
- Sun Life rewards advisors for the on-going service of Clients through its Level Commission structure
- Sun Life’s unique and attractive Commissions on Release (CORe) program provides advisors with over 3 years under contract, on-going monthly commission payments for a period of 10 years after their advisor agreement has ended
- Sun Life is committed to advisor professional development and growth. As part of this commitment, we have established a financial awards program to support advisors in obtaining relevant professional designations to better support Clients.
Advisors can earn bonuses, prizes, and travel incentives during regular campaigns, and qualify for recognition such as Conventions and conferences, Advisor of the Year, Award of Excellence, and Advisor stock ownership.
- Sun Life has been named one of Glassdoor’s 2021 Best Places to Work in Canada.
- Sun Life was voted as “Most Trusted Brand™ of Life Insurance Company,” according to the 2022 Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand™ Survey and was recognized as a Platinum winner having won in its category for 10 or more consecutive years.
- For the 13thconsecutive year, Sun Life has earned a spot on the Corporate Knights’ 2022 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World.
- Corporate Knights has once again included Sun Life on its list of the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada.
- Tied for the #1 position among insurance companies globally representing the top 1% in the world on sustainability performance.
- In 2021, for the 16th consecutive year, Sun Life was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI).
- Sun Life gets a perfect score, for the 2nd year in a row, on the LGBT Corporate Canadian Index (CCI) when it comes to LGBTQ Diversity and Inclusion.
“I have seen a lot of pain over the years as a nurse. A young man was dying of cancer and was the sole provider for his family. He had not done any financial planning for his family … Seeing that anguish up close played a role in leading me to Sun Life. I originally became an advisor so that I could try to protect families from similar outcomes.”
Former career as a registered nurse
“I joined Sun Life after connecting with the manager. He asked what I want out of this business - I explained it to him - he said I will help you find people to talk to, to get every one of those steppingstones accomplished. He said, we can do that, because we have people doing that, I will do what I need to get you there.”
Former small business owner,
landscaping business
“I am 9 -10 years from retirement. I am looking for the right person to join Sun Life. I don’t want to hand my business over to just anyone.”
Financial security advisor (Quebec)
Commitment to community
Our success depends on the well-being of the communities we serve, and we believe we play a role in their development and sustainability.
Diabetes Awareness
Mental Health
Sports Properties
The Sun Life community plays an integral role in bringing our purpose to life. You Give We Give is our employee and advisor giving program where employees and advisors can give back to causes that are important to them. Through You Give We Give, we’re building healthier, sustainable communities.
